Cupping: Jennifer Aniston does it, but will it work for you?

By Angela Hill, Oakland Tribune

Posted:
05/16/2013 04:59:53 AM EDT

Adam Atman L.Ac. MMQ. attaches suction cups to the back of Alexsandra Marianetti, of Campbell, who is being treated for a cold and allergies at Los Gatos Acupuncture and Qigong Center in Los Gatos, Calif. on Thursday, May 9, 2013. Cupping is a Chinese medicine technique that's been around for thousands of years. The cups attach by vacuum to draw out toxins. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group)

John, a stout, gray-haired 58-year-old man from Mountain View, lay face down and bare-backed on the treatment table. A dozen glass orbs the size of cue balls lined his spine, the skin beneath them bulging ruby red as blood was drawn to the surface.

This is cupping therapy, a millennia-old technique in Chinese medicine -- also employed for decades in the United States under the category of alternative care -- chiefly sought out to relieve aches and pains and increase circulation. Practitioners believe it can increase the movement in the body's own energy, or "qi."

And it's making news once again, with stars such as Jennifer Aniston, Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow and hubby Chris Martin recently sporting the telltale red circles temporarily left behind from treatments. Kelly Osbourne even tweeted out a photo of herself during a cupping session a couple of weeks ago, showing a small glass ball attached to her foot, and adding "went 2 the most amazing Chinese Dr who fixed me w/ cups."

Everything old ...

Acupuncturists and massage therapists who regularly employ the technique smile tolerantly when asked about the "new" trend.

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"Yes, I had to laugh," whispered South Bay massage therapist Grant Atwellas gentle sounds of chirping birds and crashing waves played softly in the background of the treatment room where John, who asked that his last name not be used, was being cupped by acupuncturist and clinic founder Adam Atman. "We see the stars on the red carpet, showing off the discoloration," Atwell said. "It looks like they've been attacked by a friendly octopus."

John offered a muffled agreement about the octopus analogy as he lay on the table on a recent Thursday afternoon. "Either octopus, or big leeches," he mumbled, describing the sensation of the cups sucking at his pale skin. He sought the treatment as a possible cure for hearing loss and blood pressure issues that ail him.

"You can see the redness in his back. From a Chinese medical point of view, this indicates too much heat going up his body," said Atman, before applying the cups. "What the cupping does is pull the blood to the surface, pull the heat out of it and vent the stagnant blood. It also lifts the tissue and improves circulation to those areas."

This form of cupping -- one of several versions of the technique -- is considered a traditional style in which specially designed glass vessels are swabbed on the inside with alcohol, then lit with a flame and placed on the skin, the heat creating instant suction. The client is not affected by the flame, merely feeling a warm sensation and a pulling on the skin.

Some modern devices involve silicone cups, which are more flexible and can be used on joints and many other parts of the body. Cupping is often used in conjunction with other therapies, such as acupuncture or reflexology, Atwell said. He uses cups made of rubber and employs a gliding technique, rather than keeping the cups stationary. Small cups can even be used on the face.

Another technique called "wet" cupping involves pricking the skin with a needle before the cup is placed. Blood is released into the cup to relieve pressure.

A cup of history

The therapy dates back 3,000-plus years, according to Sonia Morton of the International Cupping Therapy Association, or ICTA, based in Washington state. Originally, animal horns, bamboo or even gourds were used for the procedure.

"The general idea is negative pressure, rather than tissue compression," Morton said. "The suction lifts the connective tissue, breaks up and drains stagnation while increasing blood and lymph flow to skin and muscles in ways not possible using compression. It's great for pain, repetitive strains, inflammation, toxicity, digestive problems and many other issues."

Cups attached to the back of Alexsandra Marianetti, of Campbell, who is being treated for a cold and allergies at Los Gatos Acupuncture and Qigong Center in Los Gatos, Calif. on Thursday, May 9, 2013. Cupping is a Chinese medicine technique that's been around for thousands of years. The cups attach by vacuum to draw out toxins. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group)

Educators at the ICTA have indeed seen a growth in interest in the practice during recent years, sometimes even training medical doctors and chiropractors in the technique.

"I liken it to hardwood floors versus carpeting, with hardwood being Eastern medicine and carpet as Western," Morton said. "Everyone used to have hardwood floors, then carpet came along and was the trend. But now we're back to hardwood floors again because of the superior benefits."

While reviews of cupping therapy at the National Institutes of Health suggest more rigorous studies are needed for definitive answers as to the efficacy of the practice, some research has indeed indicated benefits for pain relief. And the Mayo Clinic reports some studies show a possible beneficial role for cupping in treating fibromyalgia, but also recommends more research.

The marks that often result from a treatment -- which can last from a few hours to a week, depending on skin type and other conditions -- are not bruises, as many believe.

"There is no trauma, no broken capillaries," Morton said. "It's from the toxins that come to the surface. The worse the toxicity in a certain area, or the older an injury, the longer the marks will be apparent."

Dhyana Iris, a massage therapist in the East Bay, recently added cupping to her repertoire after falling in love the with effects of the treatments for herself. "It's a totally delicious experience," she said. Iris has adapted an extremely gentle version of the gliding technique to work with older people with chronic illness or with Alzheimer's, or those who are approaching the end of life.

Costs of procedures vary depending on the practitioner and on accompanying applications, such as hot-stone massage or reflexology. Iris usually charges about $75 to $100 for a cupping session, but greatly reduces her prices for elderly clients.

Don't try this at home

Now don't go rummaging the recycling bin for your empty peanut butter jars. Cupping should only be performed by licensed health care providers. And there are many situations in which even specialists will not perform the treatment, such as if the client has skin infections, fever or diabetes, Atman said.

While the cups performed their work on John, Atman moved to another room at the clinic to attend Alexsandra Marianetti, 38, of Campbell, a tantra instructor who goes by the name of Kika. Soon, she had about 26 cups running up and down her back.

"Kika has two conditions perfect for cupping -- congestion from a cold, and allergies," Atman said.

"It feels like someone is placing a kiss on my back," Kika said, kidding with Atman as he applied the cups. "Be sure to give me a nice design."

Cupping therapy was used in Egypt dating back some 3,500 years, even apparent in hieroglyphic writing. The famous Taoist alchemist and herbalist Ge Hong (A.D. 281""341) was a proponent of cupping.In ancient Greece, Hippocrates recommended the use of cups for a variety of ailments.

In the early 1900s, British physician Sir Arthur Keith wrote about witnessing cupping performed "with excellent success."

In China, extensive research has been carried out on the technique, and even today the practice continues to be a mainstay of government-sponsored hospitals in traditional Chinese medicine.

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